A post title that you NEVER thought you'd see: Sammy the Bull goes clubbing in Singapore...

Team Taylor Deportation/Repatriation Countdown

Days left in Singapore: 13

Days left until arrival in the Queen City: 20
Family,

And a good Saturday afternoon to you from across the globe after another GREAT DAY in the Lion City.  IT'S THE WEEKEND!!!!!!  The Bull ran 5K outside today between 11:30-12, and dare I say it almost felt pleasant.  Yes, it was hot - but NOTHING like the first 6 months here when running at 9 PM at night was just torture.  It's funny, but when we first arrived, our track coach from the Shufflers said that you really shouldn't try to do any long distance running (like a marthon) for the first year, because your body takes that long to adjust to the heat.  I dismissed this as rubbish, as I didn't think I would EVER adjust to the heat.  However, 11+ months on, I've actually found that 78-83 degrees with 100% humidity really can be quite nice.  And that figures, as now that I'm used to insane heat and flat running, it's time to move back to Charlotte, where it will be freezing and there isn't a level step of pavement for miles around my house.  AWESOME. 

So yesterday was a great one for the Bull.  I woke up about 6:15 and hit the treadmill, logging a 5K in 22:50 (7:25 pace).  It felt good, but I was definitely a slow starter (I have slept like a ROCK these last few days, and Thursday night was no exception.  However, I did burn some calories and rolled into the office earlier than normal (read:  8:37), as Friday was our departments all-day service event. 

We'd been planning this since August, and I really do feel that it went great.  We spent about 5 hours working with some disadvantaged youths in the local Singapore community, explaining to them about the importance of one's resume, how to behave in an interview, and typical office behavior and protocols.  We also hosted some role playing sessions, played a few few games, and took them on a tour of the office, all of which they seemed to really enjoy.  The day flew by, and I was running around like the days of Integration Session (X - I had one of those crazy color-coded schedules and everything:-)).  So much so that I didn't manage lunch until about 3:30.  But no complaints, as that session was a fantastic reminder of how truly blessed I am.  Suddenly all my griping and complaining about people stopping short in front of the escalator or talking constantly in a theater seemed rather childish and silly.  It was definitely a good cleansing experience for the mind and soul.

After work, I rolled over to Brotzeit for a few pints with Obi-wan before heading to a placed called the J-Pot to kick off the evening's festivities.  You see, 2 weeks ago, Tiffanie asked me if I was free on 9 December.  When I said yes and asked why, she just smiled.  About 5 minutes later I got a calendar invite for "Clubbing," which sent a shockwave of terror down my spine.  I mean, let's face it, the words "Sammy" and "clubbing" are NEVER used in the same sentence (not even in the same novel), and so I had visions of me being 4 heads taller than the rest of the dance floor trying to protect my beer from people grinding to Golddigger.  And so it is with this image in my head that I made my way to dinner.

The pre-game meal - I'm still pretty scared at this point.

So first off, J-Pot was AMAZING.  I didn't even know this place existed, but it's a local joint at the tail end of Vivo City which specializes in soup (what we think of as broth).  Basically, you get a pot and pick two soups, and then you go to the table and mix up your sauce (and I'll apologize in advance that I don't have photos of this - Muffin's got both cameras in India.  But fret not, as the girls took about 14,000 pics, so this particular post will get updated soon).  Lastly, you pick your meats, which you then cook in the broth - prawns, fish balls, chicken, fish, various cuts of beef - you name it.  It's all super tasty, and I was SHOVELING down grub to make up for the lack of a proper lunch.  All in all, I was feeling good and ready to be "bouncin' in da club."

You know what makes food REALLY good?  Squeeze
VATS OF ANIMAL FAT into it just before it boils.  Let's
face it - I'll be lucky to see 40.

As it turns out, the club was literally RIGHT across the street at an abandoned Power Plant.  We crossed the highway on a bridge that I've driven under for the last 12 months but never really noticed, and we then arrived at a building that is literally a TENTH OF A MILE from the office but hidden from this Ang Mo until last night.  It is a HUGE complex, filled with something like 9 different clubs inside.  The setup is actually AWESOME, as you've got 3 or 4 HUGE dance floors, some with live music, others with techno (they call it trance here), and still others just droppin' some old school rap on you (J-Wade - I was prepped for PLENTY of palm droppin').

A highlight for me was the signs on the way in that said what was not permitted.  Obviously theft and weapons were no-no's (as was underage drinking), but the best two:

1. NO MOLESTING.  It's a pink sign with a stick figure girl in a skirt bending over and a bigger, thicker stick figure SLAPPING HER ASS.  It even has the little "POW" symbol on her butt.  CLASSIC.

2.  NO OUTRAGE OF MODESTY.  So, first off, WTF is an "outrage of modesty," anyway?  I asked Nancy and 2 Singaporeans, and none of them really had an answer.  I think it's one of those "if you're really ugly and making out with someone else who's really ugly, this allows us to throw your ass out on the street" kind of regulations.  I'm happy to report that I witnessed ZERO "outrages of modesty during my 4 hours inside.

As to the club and the evening itself, it was FANTASTIC.  Tiff had booked a table for us, and so we were situated on the second floor with a view of the dancefloor and DJ below.  The music (which really was great) was not too loud, and you could actually continue to have a conversation.  Plus we were chillin' in these SWEET seats and sippin' booze, so on the whole I felt like an absolute king holding court.  Throw in some black lights, glow sticks on the dance floor, and a really good DJ (Puma - this guy could be the next "Pop Is Life" album we become fans of), and you've got a recipe for a stellar time.

We spent the evening dancing the night away, and I busted out all my best moves except the Sprinkler and the Worm.  I really wish that Mike Lake had been there, as he would have MESMERIZED the locals.  Also, we discoved that our buddy JQ is the next David Copperfield.  Seriously - this guy was doing some CRAZY David Blaine street magic with cards!  I was absolutely blown away, as it was JUST LIKE watching some of the crazy stuff that guy does on TV.

Lastly, I must confess that I am now a HUGE fan of Grey Goose and lime juice.  That was one of our 2 mixers, and when you add in "heavy hand" Jasmine doing the pouring, you get some EXCELLENT drinks.  Much better, I must say, than Adeline's proposal of:  Green Tea and Whiskey.  Seriously?  Ad, we gotta chat about this.  And I realize that I'm a day late in posting these, but somehow I just don't feel you can tell the story of the evening without the photo progession...

10:30 PM - with a crew this innocent looking, what can
POSSIBLY go wrong, right?



11:15 - the first rap song that Sammy the Bull knows the words to kicks off.  Girls are amazing that I know more than just John Denver songs.

Midnight:  The first bottle of Grey Goose is gone, which means that, naturally, you should throw up gang signs.

12:30 - Someone finds a pair of Santa hats, which naturally means that JQ and the Bull need to act like Run DMC
performing their Christmas album.

1 AM - Satan arrives.  Tiffanie uses her black voodoo witch magic to cast out the demon.  Authorities get concerned.

1:45 - Begin re-enacting scenes from the Matrix.  Decide you are Agent Smith, destined to lose, and say goodnight.
Author's note:  The only thing that I tried to upload but couldn't was me dancing to "All the Single Ladies" - Muffin - you would have been so proud.

I left the place about 2, cabbing it home and PASSING OUT just before 3 this morning.  I was up today about 11, milling about in the condo before running and then continuing to work through our food store.  After that, it was over to Fort Canning Park, where I crossed off one of my last to-do's - a walk through the Battle Box.

The Battle Box was the only British Military HQ during WWII, and it's here that the British authorized the surrender to the Japanese on 15 February, 1942.  I am really glad that Jason talked me into it, as it was a terrific tour.  They sealed the bunkers just after the war ended and completely forgot about them until 1992 when someone noticed an entryway on Fort Canning Hill.  They opened the doors to find the place flooded, but 5 years and $3 million SGD later, it was a museum (and a very good one at that).  We got to see the conference room where the decision was taken, as well as an original Japanese surrender flag from 9 December, 1945 (when the Brits came back through and liberated the island).  I spent a good hour in there, and it was definitely $5 well spent.

Now it's off to buy groceries (FOR THE LAST TIME IN SINGAPORE!), take the clothes out of the washer/dryer before they shrink to elf size, and then change out of my Arizona State shirt (SPARKY!  SPARKY!  SPARKY!) before rolling over to Noveena for an evening with Money, Dan, and some of their mates.  I can already taste the Kiwi martinee...

Okay, that's all the news that's fit to print.  Chat tomorrow!

Love,

Sam and (now safely back in Delhi after a tremendous trip around the Triangle and probably en route to the Red Fort) Jenny (and Cath)